Chapter 90: Tomorrow

In the Bennet Mansion, Charles and Haines came home early to gather everyone in the dining room to think of how to celebrate Penny’s birthday. Since the start of the week, everyone had been wracking their brains on how to celebrate Penny’s first birthday with them. It was the reason everyone quickly recovered from Nina’s departure.

"How about a party?" one of the chefs suggested, only to get a gloomy look from everyone. He smiled awkwardly. "That’s the 100th time that idea was brought up, huh?"

A deep exhale slipped past their lips as they shook their heads.

Celebrating Nina’s birthday might be tiring with all the preparations, but it wasn’t as hard as this. After all, Nina liked grandiose parties; she liked being a princess on her special day. Penny, on the other hand, specifically asked Haines before coming into this house that she disliked parties — any big events.

The Bennet couple wouldn’t mind throwing the biggest and grandest birthday for their daughter. This was the first time Penny would celebrate her birthday. They wanted it to be memorable. But then again...

Another wave of sighs escaped everyone at the "but" in their minds.

"Who would have thought preparing for birthdays can be so stressful?" Charles held his head, almost at the end of his wits. He already suggested everything he knew, but all of them were too grand.

As for Haines, everyone told him his suggestions were too bland and simple. "I still think it’s best if we go through the plan of inviting all the chefs to cook for her. Restaurant hopping is tiring, after all."

"But that’s not special enough, is it?" Allison glanced at Haines dejectedly. "How about just a small party?"

"With the elders?" Charles snapped his gaze at his wife. "I don’t think that’s a good idea, hon."

Allison pressed her lips into a thin line, back to zero.

Butler Jen felt helpless watching the couple and Haines and every servant in the house joined forces to think of a better idea. Back then, they didn’t need to gather like this. However, the Bennet Couple couldn’t decide. Even with Haines’s help, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t like the servants in the mansion were unwilling.

If anything, Butler Jen was aware that every servant had been wracking their brains to give Penny a gift. Everyone in this house liked Penny. Thinking of what Penny had been doing in this house, Butler Jen couldn’t blame that everyone wanted to please Penny. It wasn’t because Penny was away from her family for over a decade, but she was truly a delightful and responsible child.

Penny never asked the servants to do something she could do. Even when she ate in the middle of the day, she would clean up her table and even her plates. She also cleaned her room and took care of her pets. It was the reason her room didn’t smell bad despite keeping different species in there. There were many little things that Penny did that warmed up everyone’s hearts.

So, on her special day, everyone wanted to make her the happiest.

How, though?

"I think we should just ask Miss Penny," Butler Jen suggested and earned everyone’s attention.

"Butler Jen, then that wouldn’t be a surprise," one of the maids sighed.

The other maids nodded.

"But if we asked her subtly... maybe she wouldn’t pick it up?" one of the chefs remarked. "Miss Penny has a unique taste in some things. I don’t want to buy her a gift that wouldn’t make her happy."

"I’m certain whatever it is, Miss Penny will appreciate it," reassured Butler Jen.

"We can’t just ask her all at once." Haines tapped his fingers on the table and cast the couple a look. "Especially not the two of you."

"Why can’t I ask my daughter what she likes?" Allison frowned. "If there’s anyone who should ask what she wants on her birthday, that should be us. It’s only natural for parents to have an interest in their child’s special day."

Charles nodded. "That’s true. I’ll ask!"

Everyone looked at Charles, unable to hide their doubt.

"Wha — what?" Charles stuttered a little at the look everyone was giving him. "The mouse is an honest misunderstanding. And Penny said it’s a hundred times better than the original request."

Haines shook his head. "We cannot afford to have another embarrassing misunderstanding, Charles."

"I’ll ask." Butler Jen raised a hand. "I always ask Miss Penny what she likes about most things. I don’t think she will suspect anything."

"Butler Jen, my daughter is very smart and sharp. She took after me, so..." Charles trailed off as he felt his life was suddenly in danger. "Ha ha... I mean, she took after me and my wife... I mean the Bennets and Roswald."

Everyone shook their heads and sighed once more. They could only look at Butler Jen helplessly, as this sounded like the best for now.

"Very well." Allison smiled gently as she spoke. "Butler Jen, can you also ask Penny how she’d like to spend the day?"

Charles quickly chimed in. "Ask her if she likes a princess dress or something else for me."

"I also want to know if she wants anything else," Haines added.

"Butler Jen, can you ask Miss Penny what kind of breakfast she likes for that day?" the chef jumped in a hurry. "No, I mean, add lunch, dinner, snacks, and her lunch box!"

"Butler Jen, I also want to ask her about something, but if you can..."

"Butler Jen, me too..."

"Butler Jen..."

Butler Jen, although kept a straight back, retreated a step. He darted his eyes to everyone as they continued to flood him with requests.

’Tomorrow’s the birthday...’

Butler Jen raised his hands and said something for the first time. "Ma’am Allison, Sir Charles, I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep this a secret anymore. I can’t do this."

Everyone went silent again as they looked at Butler Jen. This was the first time Butler Jen admitted he couldn’t do anything. Although Butler Jen wasn’t perfect, in their eyes, he was close to that.

"It’s better if we keep an open communication," Butler Jen added with a sigh. "Let’s all ask Miss Penny how she’d like to spend her birthday. Please..." leave him alone.

They looked at each other before setting their eyes on Butler Jen with a gloomy look. They wanted to surprise Penny, but with all this uncertainty, it seemed they had to forego the surprise.

Having said that, everyone regrouped in the family room. Although it should just be the Bennet couple and Haines, everyone followed. The masters of the house didn’t stop them because they understood they were just eager to know what Penny liked.

Tomorrow’s her birthday. They had to make it perfect with so little time they got.

In the end, they all felt embarrassed that they spent the past several weeks wracking their brains only to reveal it on the day before Penny’s birthday.

When the Bennet children arrived home, Penny squinted as soon as she saw everyone waiting for them in the entry hall. The Bennet children creased their brows.

Seeing Charles open his mouth, Atlas quickly covered Penny’s ears to protect her from whatever disaster their father was about to spew. Everyone who had seen this couldn’t help their faces from twitching.

"Huh?" Penny looked up at Atlas. "First Brother?"

"The four of us have plans tonight." Hugo smiled. "We’ll go first."

Having said that, the boys dragged Penny inside, with Atlas keeping his hands on Penny’s ears. She was practically being dragged with a manual headset on her. They weren’t forceful, but it looked weird.

Everyone could only watch the young masters take Penny upstairs in disbelief. Did they guess they were planning to expose themselves about tomorrow?

*****

Meanwhile, in the Cortez Household, Nina was holding her phone in her ear while talking to Patricia.

"Nina, why are you just telling me this now?! Ugh! I was so ready!" Patricia harrumphed from the other end of the line.

Hearing this, Nina clenched her teeth bitterly. "I’m really sorry, Patricia. I got to go."

Nina didn’t wait for Patricia’s reply and hung up. She clenched her teeth, grabbed her pillow, and punched it to vent her anger. Today, she should be preparing for her big day tomorrow. But here she was, calling her friends and telling them about the canceled birthday celebration.

"I hate her...!" Nina grumbled while mentally screaming her frustrations. When she calmed down a bit, she bit her lower lips and thought, "Don’t tell me all my birthday preparations would be used for her? That thief...!"

The bitterness in her heart skipped to a new level at the mere thought that Penny would steal all her ideas and plans for tomorrow.